Napaling Reef, the Massive Drop Off, and the Bohol Sardines are all Incredible!
Napaling Point, also called Napaling Reef, was once a secluded and off-the-beaten-path destination that even locals didn’t know how to get to. Now, Napaling is lively, full of tourists, both local and foreign, and has become the most popular dive spot of (mainland) Panglao island.
Napaling reef starts about 8 meters from shore—this easy access is one of the many reasons why Napaling has become so popular! The drop-off and reef are located in Tangnan, Panglao, Bohol. Scuba divers, freedivers, snorkelers, swimmers, and people just looking for a place to chill gather here. For the most part, the dive site is convenient and accessible by a good road, has resorts with all modern and needed amenities, and has everything you can expect from a fantastic reef.
The place is particularly great for divers – for both scuba and freedivers. Depth is available almost immediately from the shore – only a few kicks away, and you’ll have a 25m drop-off already. Scuba divers love to explore the steep wall with exciting caves and crevices. Sardine shoals can be found almost all year round – making a spectacular show much to the delight of divers. Fishes are abundant, and colorful corals thrive.
This is heaven for freedivers – the reason we have been running freediving courses here since 2015. You can find depth close to shore. The drop-off is so convenient that you can train at any time of the day. Within 100 meters from the shore, 80 meters depth can easily be found. And only a few meters more, you will quickly have 120 or 130 meters. Therefore, it is not surprising that, over the years, Napaling has been the host of many depth championships.
Similar to scuba divers, freedivers love exploring the reef as well. The steep wall is fantastic for freedivers of all levels, and even beginners and advanced freedivers will have lots of fun here. The wall starts at around three meters in depth and plunges to over 25 meters in depth. Lively fish crowd the beautiful corals, playing with the currents and interacting with other marine creatures, including divers themselves.
Several dive shops have opened in the last few years as the place has become increasingly popular. Local and foreign tourists flock to this amazing place to enjoy the waters and the scenery.
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The Vibrant and Spectacular Marine Life of Napaling Reef
Napaling Reef stretches hundreds of meters of beautiful reef. A section of about fifty meters has been cordoned off—the high-activity area where the Bohol sardines usually gather and where snorkelers and divers hang out to watch the spectacular show. The protection helps prevent boats and fishers from entering.
The place also has a cliff jump, and even though people jump right into the shoal, the sardines never seem to be bothered. The sardines are warier of predators that lurk beyond the reef. There are needlefish prowling at the surface, waiting for an opportunity to jump off the surface and land on the bait ball. The reef has jackfish and barracudas in midwater prowling, and sometimes tunas and Spanish mackerels attack from the depths when the shoal lets down its guard and ventures to the drop-off.
Aside from the main show, there are also exciting and frequent visitors. Common green sea turtles can be seen hanging out by the wall, resting, and sometimes feeding on the algae growing. They compete with resident reef fish, such as rabbitfish and surgeonfish, that eat algae as well.
Rays can also be seen cruising the area. White-spotted eagle and manta rays as broad as 5 meters have been encountered many times, especially by freedivers who train on dive lines a little further from shore. Some of them have experienced doing “hangs” at depth, and suddenly, a wild manta ray would approach out of curiosity.
And it’s not only manta rays that approach freedivers in Napaling Point. Whale sharks are frequent visitors to the reef and drop off, too. Even one time, a juvenile whale shark hung out for an hour with freedivers, stopping them from training and indulging in playing with them. The freedivers had the best time of their lives.
Since 2015, when we’ve been diving at Napaling Reef, we’ve seen many dolphins and whales, like grey whales and minky, and pods of pilot whales that are up to 30 to 40 at a time. But the biggest and most surprising visitor of all was a blue whale. One fine morning, this massive marine creature of at least 20 to 25 meters long suddenly surfaced to breathe a few meters behind freedivers training on the line. They went wild! They scrambled to keep up with the massive mammal but could not as these powerful, gentle creatures swam fast without effort. They got a glimpse of the biggest mammal in the world in its natural habitat – lucky ones, aren’t they?
People on the shore saw how massive it was – it just raised its head out of the water a little bit, and it already looked like a big dump truck. The people who saw it, especially the freedivers in the water, had an opportunity of a lifetime. Another sighting of a blue whale happened half a year later. It was early in the morning this time, and there weren’t any divers in the water yet. The fortunate ones who saw it were stretching in front of the sea and were surprised by the big spouts of the massive marine mammal.
Want to Learn More About Freediving or Start Yourself?
Send us a message via the following form, and our team will reply within a few hours.
At the same time, we’ll subscribe you to the Freedive Academy iMagazine and send you an email every two weeks with news and schedules for courses and online (free) events that everyone can join.
Freediving is an incredible sport, and what the human body can do is amazing. Message us today and submerge yourself in a beautiful world in one breath!
Fill in the form now – no strings. We have a great team of people who are all more than happy to answer any questions you might have.
Freedive Training all year round
Though there are some days during the typhoon season when the waves are not great for beginner freediving courses, but it’s practically all year round that freedivers can jump in and enjoy diving – be it for freedive training or just fun diving. The most insane sea conditions with flat waters and sunny skies would be during the southwest monsoon, locally known as habagat. The calm waters start when the winds shift, slowly beginning in February and March, and usually, around May or June when habagat sets in, a glassy sea are common until early October.
One word: Convenient
Not only is diving in Napaling convenient, but a Long-term stay in Panglao is also with the island life you’ve been dreaming of. Traveling to Bohol is very convenient, and the moment you arrive, you’ll be surrounded by coconut trees and beautiful nature and greeted and welcomed by friendly locals. There are many food options around the island, with dedicated restaurants for your special dietary needs. You can also do groceries if you want to cook your own food. There are different public markets around the island, but malls in the city are better options if you want more choices. To top it off, everywhere on the island is super accessible – only 15 minutes away by scooter, including the nearby Tagbilaran city. Several apartments can be rented all over Panglao Island, and they range from basic amenities to fully furnished ones.
Freediving in the Philippines is quite the experience! We love the tropical island lifestyle, an incredible dive center, a top facility and location, and our amazing reef and drop-off. We have been here since 2015 and love our Napaling reef and island!
If you want to learn freedive or have questions, please contact us anytime. We teach freediving courses here at Napaling, which are located directly on the only access road towards Napaling Reef. We have beginner freediving courses starting every day and every month; we teach the different freedive instructor courses – we offer different options, but they are always fun and entertaining.
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